Across the British countryside, a quiet evolution is taking place. The traditional country manor – long a symbol of heritage, history and permanence – is being reimagined for the 21st century.

This month we are absolutely thrilled to announce that Claridge House, our first retrofit project, has just won an award at The Architects Journal Retrofit and Reuse Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in the renewal and repurposing of existing buildings and emphasise the reuse of materials and structure.

Having just experienced the UK’s third heatwave of 2025, we thought it would be timely to look at how homes can be designed to cope with the extremes of Mother Nature and the solutions that can help to mitigate whatever she throws at us.

This month, I want to talk about paint. I can’t think of a single Castellum project that has not featured paint, or a single person that lives in a house without paint.

When casting around for inspiration for this month’s journal, I pinged a groupwide Whatsapp message asking for ideas. Jon Veale (Director of Castellum Cotswolds) suggested ‘earth mortar’ which, I must admit, made me raise a rather sceptical eyebrow.

We are known as a nation of passionate gardeners and the importance we place on our gardens is certainly neither new nor news. Anyone who has ever visited a National Trust property will acknowledge the stunning historical gardens and parklands on display.

The luxury residential market in the UK is defined by its attention to detail, superior craftsmanship, and bespoke finishes. Wall treatments (along with floors and ceilings of course) are the rudimentary key elements of design and significantly influence the overall aesthetic and ambiance of a room.

As February draws to a close, so too does our wonderful project in Hyde Park Gate, London. Located on the southern boundary of Kensington Gardens, between Queen’s Gate and De Vere Gardens, Hyde Park Gate is an area of great prestige; housing international embassies and also known as the location of Sir Winson Churchill’s former residence.

Happy New Year everyone! 2025 has started with aplomb! In November 2023’s journal, we featured our then new retrofit project, Claridge House. Well, a little over a year later, and we are now handing the completed project over.

Purchasing a property to carry out a restoration project is an intimidating task for anyone, let alone a Grade I listed manor house. Fortunately, our client knew the building well and had fallen in love with it.